Tuesday, June 29, 2010

I am drawn to black and white, and especially red - and when I can get the three colors together I am thrilled. I have been eyeing this teapot at Marshalls. I certainly didn't need it, so I waited for it to go into the clearance aisle - and lucky me - this patient gal got it on sale:

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Since my husband has retired he has been cooking dinner quite often. The other day when my Better Home and Garden magazine arrived by mail, he apparently was "browsing" thru the pages and came across a recipe he wanted to try - go figure, reading my BHG mag!! So he grilled zucchini and yellow squash on the grill:and pork - but the best was the salsa recipe for the pork: 1 orange cut up and added to chipotle salsa:and my contribution was a side of pasta salad:I just might leave my Taste Of Home magazine out on the counter, in case he gets the urge to find some more great recipes!!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Leigh, From Tales from Bloggeritaville, took her niece's old rain boots and planted petunias in them....I thought this was so clever that when I saw these children's boots at a garage sale for $.50, I had to buy them and copy her idea:As you all know, I do not have a green thumb and I do not enjoy gardening, but I am trying to create a rock garden in the back of my yard to take away from the ugly drainage area. I don't tend to this area very often because my husband saw a HUGE snake there the other day...he described it as being "huge and very long" and I asked him if he was sure it was not a dinosaur!

But either way, the boots are fun to look at rather than the rocks...thanks Leigh for the great idea!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

My son in law has wanted me to feature him on my blog for quite some time now...Often our conversations go something like this:Ray: Hey, I haven't been on your blog yet!Exasperated mother-in-law: What do you want me to say?Ray: How wonderful I am!Irritated Mother-in-law: How wonderful are you?Ray: Hey, I'm the bestAnnoyed mother-in-law: So you want me to post about how wonderful you are?Ray: Ah Ya, you got a problem with that?

So, here goes......This is Ray, my son-in law, practicing for Fatherhood a little over a year ago:

(Note the puppy in the carrier)

Here he is, clarifying the rules of my home since becoming a dad:Ray and son on Christening day...And this is the greatest gift he has given us - Carter, with GrandpaNow...there are a few more things you need to know about Ray:*He's a lawyer (please forward all lawyer jokes to me)*He can't stand for long periods of time (like during labor) or his feet get tired*He should never adjust the wheels of the lawnmower without a paramedic nearby*His cholesterol level is sky high, bragging he has beaten Obama at something*He named his son after "Jimmy"*He has a lovely singing voice, especially singing Christmas carols*When he calls on the phone, and is telling a story, I actually have time to put the phone down, go to the bathroom, flush, wash hands, and return to the phone without him knowing.*He's a great DADDY!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

I stopped at a garage sale today and spied these Dr Suess books ...This is how the conversation went down:Me: What's the price of the Dr Suess books?Nice garage sale lady: a quarterMe: I'll take them, counting out three dollars for the 12 books.Nice garage sale lady: No, just a quarter!Me (in my Boston accent that comes back when I am excited): A quata for all 12?Nice garage sale lady: Yup, just a quarter!Me (doing the happy dance): Great, here's a quata. Thanks!!

These are for Carter, of course...books to read when he visits me in July!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Allison at The House of Hepworths had a post yesterday that reminded me of a recycling project my high school fashion design students were challenged to a few years ago. Their task was to create something out of an everyday item we toss away. I demonstrated making the following items to give them a few ideas:Alison made a lunch bag similar to these, but without the handles:I also took 8 empty packages of muffin mixes to create this tote bag:These are sewn together and grommets were used to adhere the handles:And I made this tote from laminated magazine covers:So, what did my students make? A cell phone case from old dish cloths, a necklace from soda flip tops, a pillow from an old flannel shirt, a wallet from a cereal box, a child's pinwheel toy from a cardboard box, beaded earings from old scraps of fabric, a jean skirt from a pair of jeans, a headband from giftwrap ribbons, a vest from an old blanket and many more clever ideas!

House of Hepworths has links where she has given credit, so stop over to see her lunchbag and link over to see where she found her idea!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Remember this lampshade I covered?I have been searching the thrift shops for the "perfect base", without luck - until today!! I ran into the Christmas Tree Shop for plastic forks and VOILA...on the sale cart was this lamp base for only $.97:

Ironically, it was missing its shade!! And mine looks perfect on it!

This past weekend I found this cherry end table at a garage sale for $10.00. My daughter needs an end table so it will be sprayed black for her family room....Stay tuned to see how it turns out and also to see my latest purchase from Salvation Army (I am blaming this new "Thrifting Obsession" on all my bloggy friends - yes, that means YOU, too - I can't take the blame all by myself). I'm joining Thrifty Thursday at Tales of Bloggeritaville and Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage